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Management agreement, fees and transactions with related party
12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2011
Management Agreement Fees And Transactions With Related Party  
Management agreement, fees and transactions with related party

Note 6 - Management agreement, fees and transactions with related party:

On April 10, 2002, FREIT and Hekemian & Co., Inc. (“Hekemian”) executed a Management Agreement whereby Hekemian would continue as Managing Agent for FREIT. The term of the Management Agreement renewed on November 1, 2011 for a two-year term which will expire on October 31, 2013. The Management Agreement automatically renews for successive periods of two years unless either party gives not less than six (6) months prior notice to the other of non-renewal.

Pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement: FREIT retains Hekemian as the exclusive management and leasing agent for properties which FREIT owned as of April 2002 and for the Preakness Shopping Center acquired on November 1, 2002 by Wayne PSC. However, FREIT may retain other managing agents to manage certain other properties acquired after April 10, 2002 and to perform various other duties such as sales, acquisitions, and development with respect to any or all properties. Hekemian does not serve as the exclusive advisor for FREIT to locate and recommend to FREIT investments, which Hekemian deems suitable for FREIT, and is not required to offer potential acquisition properties exclusively to FREIT before acquiring those properties for its own account. The Management Agreement includes a detailed schedule of fees for those services, which Hekemian may be called upon to perform. The Management Agreement provides for a termination fee in the event of a termination or non-renewal of the Management Agreement under certain circumstances.

Hekemian currently manages all the properties owned by FREIT, except for the Rotunda, a mixed-use office and retail facility located in Baltimore, Maryland, which is managed by an independent third party management company. The management agreement with Hekemian, effective November 1, 2001, requires the payment of management fees equal to a percentage of rents collected. Such fees were approximately $1,802,000, $1,791,000 and $1,723,000 in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. In addition, the management agreement provides for the payment to Hekemian of leasing commissions, as well as the reimbursement of operating expenses incurred on behalf of FREIT. Such fees amounted to approximately $326,000, $352,000 and $427,000 in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Total Hekemian management fees that were unpaid at October 31, 2011 and 2010 were $145,000 and $146,000, respectively. FREIT also uses the resources of the Hekemian insurance department to secure various insurance coverages for its properties and subsidiaries. Hekemian is paid a commission for these services. Such commissions amounted to approximately $97,000, $102,000 and $110,000 in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Grande Rotunda, LLC (“Grande Rotunda”) owns and operates the Rotunda. FREIT owns a 60% equity interest in Grande Rotunda, and Rotunda 100, LLC owns a 40% equity interest.

Damascus Centre, LLC owns and operates the Damascus Center. During fiscal 2005, FREIT’s Board of Trustees authorized an investor group, Damascus 100, LLC, to acquire a 30% equity interest in Damascus Centre, LLC. The sale price, based on the fair market value of the shopping center, reduced FREIT’s equity interest to 70%. The sale was completed on October 31, 2006, at a sales price of $3,224,000, of which FREIT financed approximately $1,451,000. The sale price was equivalent to the book value of the interest sold.

The equity owners of Rotunda 100, LLC, and Damascus 100, LLC are principally employees of Hekemian. To incentivize the employees of Hekemian, FREIT has agreed to advance, only to employees of Hekemian, up to 50% of the amount of the equity contributions that the Hekemian employees were required to invest in Rotunda 100, LLC and Damascus 100, LLC. These advances are in the form of secured loans that bear interest that will float at 225 basis points over the ninety (90) day LIBOR, as adjusted each November 1, February 1, May 1 and August 1. These loans are secured by the Hekemian employees’ interests in Rotunda 100, LLC and Damascus 100, LLC, and are full recourse loans. Interest only payments are required to be made quarterly. No principal payments are required during the term of the notes, except that the borrowers are required to pay to FREIT all refinancing proceeds and other cash flow they receive from their interests in Damascus Centre, LLC and Grande Rotunda. These payments shall be applied first to accrued and unpaid interest and then any outstanding principal. The notes mature at the earlier of (a) ten (10) years after issue (Grande Rotunda – 6/19/2015, Damascus Centre, LLC – 9/30/2016), or, (b) at the election of FREIT, ninety (90) days after the borrower terminates employment with Hekemian, at which time all outstanding unpaid principal is due. The aggregate outstanding principal balance of the notes at October 31, 2011 and 2010 was $3,323,000. The accrued but unpaid interest related to these notes for Fiscal 2011 and Fiscal 2010 amounted to approximately $310,000 and $221,000, respectively. On May 8, 2008, FREIT’s Board of Trustees approved amendments to the existing loan agreements with the Hekemian employees, relative to their interests in Rotunda 100, LLC, to increase the aggregate amount that FREIT may advance to such employees from $2 million to $4 million. No other terms of the loan agreements were amended.

  

From time to time, FREIT engages Hekemian to provide certain additional services, such as consulting services related to development and financing activities of FREIT. Separate fee arrangements are negotiated between Hekemian and FREIT with respect to such additional services. During the 4th quarter of Fiscal 2007, FREIT’s Board of Trustees approved development fee arrangements for the Rotunda and Damascus Center redevelopment projects, as well as the South Brunswick development project. In connection with the development activities at the Rotunda and the redevelopment activities at the Damascus Center, definitive contract agreements for the development services to be provided by Hekemian Development Resources LLC (“Resources”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hekemian, have been approved and executed. The development fee arrangement for the Rotunda provides for Resources to receive a fee equal to 6.375% of the total development costs of up to $136 million (as may be modified), and the fee for the redevelopment of the Damascus Center will be an amount equal to 7% of the redevelopment costs of up to approximately $17.3 million (as may be modified). During Fiscal 2011and Fiscal 2010, FREIT paid $1,000,000 in each year to Resources, relating to fees incurred in Fiscal 2009 for development activities at the Rotunda. Also during Fiscal 2011, FREIT incurred fees payable to Resources of $236,190 for development activities at the Damascus Center. During Fiscal 2009, FREIT incurred fees payable to Resources of $2,000,000 for development activities at the Rotunda, and incurred and paid $226,769 for development activities at the Damascus Center. During Fiscal 2008, FREIT incurred and paid fees to Resources of $1,000,000 and $750,066 for development activities at the Rotunda and Damascus Center, respectively. These fees have been capitalized and accordingly are included in Construction in Progress or Real Estate on FREIT’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as of October 31, 2011 and 2010. Resources, Rotunda 100, LLC, and Damascus 100, LLC are principally owned by employees of Hekemian, including certain members of the immediate family of Robert S. Hekemian and Robert S. Hekemian, Jr. Robert S. Hekemian, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and a Trustee of FREIT, is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Hekemian. Robert S. Hekemian, Jr, a Trustee of FREIT, is the President of Hekemian. Trustee fee expense (including interest) incurred by FREIT for Fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009 was approximately $494,000, $455,000 and $414,000, respectively, for Robert S. Hekemian, and $36,000, $34,000 and $29,000, respectively, for Robert S. Hekemian, Jr. The members of the Hekemian family have majority management control of these entities. In connection with the development activities at South Brunswick, the fees with respect to this project are 7% of development costs of up to $21,000,000 (as may be modified). A definitive contract regarding the specific services to be provided at the South Brunswick project (a contemplated development site owned by FREIT) has not yet been finalized and approved. Development and acquisition fees and commissions charged to FREIT for various mortgage refinancings, amounted to approximately $0, $118,000 and $100,000 in Fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.